A schoolgirl who carried out a violent street attack, which went viral on the internet, has been sentenced.

The 15-year-old from Stockton was filmed punching and kicking another girl in the face.

The sickening footage then circulated on social media sites and was handed in to police.

And it has now emerged that the film was used by officers to help secure a conviction.

The girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was arrested and charged in connection with the attack - which left the teenage victim requiring hospital treatment.

She was issued with court summons and appeared at Teesside Youth Court on charged with assault.

There she was given a 10-month referral order, which requires her to enter into a contract with a youth offender panel.

She was also ordered to pay £200 costs.

The footage of the attack shows the victim lying on the ground being punched and kicked in the face.

Others could also be seen standing around jeering and filming the attack.

Cleveland Police officers were alerted to the crime by the 15-year-old victim on Tuesday, October 15, following the attack near Mill Lane Primary School on Wellington Street.

An ambulance attended and the girl received treatment at North Tees University Hospital in Stockton. She was later discharged.

Comments relating to the video, which appeared on Facebook and Twitter, showed people’s shock and disgust.

One girl said: “That is vile but the worst people are the ones who stood there and done nothing.”

Another said: “That’s horrible! And everyone cheering her on as well! She didn’t want to fight so she should have left her alone.”

The headteacher of the attacker’s school, which cannot be identified for legal reasons, said at the time of the incident that he was aware of the allegations.

“It is a police matter that happened on an evening outside of school, but we will also deal with internally,” he said.

“My biggest concern about the video is that everybody stood by and watched it, including adults.”

He said they also had concerns about safeguarding the alleged attacker due to threatening comments posted about the video.

A Cleveland Police spokesperson said: “This was a nasty attack on a young girl which was distressing to the victim, but was made particularly distressing due to the fact that it was filmed and the footage was then uploaded on to social media sites.

“This footage was subsequently used in our evidence which assisted in securing a successful conviction.

“Let this be a warning to those who choose to put images on social media in the future.”